destination: engaged
by fibbermegee
Summary: Kate Beckett sat up against the bedpost with a magazine in her lap, looking down, smiling to herself. She didn't notice Castle, dressed only in his black striped boxers, entering the bedroom carrying a tray. another 6x1 (my fourth). Tell me what you think.


Here is another 6x1. My sister made a challenge for me to write as many "Castle" short stories as I can. The challenge was one short story a day...during my wait for it to return in the fall. So I took on the challenge. How long can I go I don't know but it's fun to try. So here is number four. Hope that you enjoy. And all bold/italicize is a flashback from the show, that the characters are going through. (thanks to all the people who wrote the transcript to help me out.) The italicize stuff only is what I added to the flashback scene.

**Title: destination... engaged**  
**By: fibbermegee**  
**5/26/13**

Kate Beckett sat up, in only a bathrobe, against the bedpost with a magazine in her lap, looking down, smiling to herself. She didn't notice Castle, dressed only in his black striped boxers enters the bedroom carrying a tray.

"Oh, good you're awake," He says in a happy mood, she glances up for the book.

"Have been since my 'partner in crime' left me alone in the bed." Castle places the tray he was carrying across her lap. "Sleep well," he smiles.

"Like a baby...anyway talking about babies..." His smiles turns to a question mark look.

"Oh, no you're not..."

"No, no not me Jenny..."

"Oh, Espo told me, that's great isn't."

"Yes, it is. She and Ryan are so excited." Beckett looks down at the tray. "Cute pancakes, ones with smiley faces."

"These are happy pancakes...and after last night..." He steps away from the bed.

"Where you going?" she asks noticing that he was walking away.

"I thought that I climb in the bed with you." He went around to the other side of the bed and laid next to her. He places one arm behind his head and places the other one around his girl. He leans over and kisses her on the forehead. Seeing that she was still looking at this magazine he takes it, dog-ears the page and throws it on the far end of the bed.

"You can look at that later, right now I want you to eat something." He cuts into one of the dots of whip cream that made up the smile on the pancake and jams the fork into it, then pops the piece in his mouth.

"Hey, I thought you said this was mine." She places her hand on the top of his.

"It's ours." he smiles, jamming at another piece this time he swings the fork towards her mouth. "We are sharing it, open wide."

"Castle,"

"I rather be putting something else in there..." He watches her face get embarrassment. He winks. "But this well do for now."

"Castle..." she turns her face from him.

"What I can't have a little fun." She composes herself enough to accept his offer.

"You don't have to fed me."

"I know but it's fun this way. I'll let you fed me." he raised his eyebrows. Beckett shook her head and sighs she wasn't going to get out of this. So she gave in and let him fed her like he was her baby. She was after all his baby.

"I want to fed you all the time." he whispered to her like anyone was going to hear them in his bedroom.

"Castle, stop..." he looked confused at the comment. Then he saw the sparkle in her eyes. He knew that she was trying to mess with him too.

"oh, I get it...no more dirty talk while we eat."

"Why do you always have to make things sound so dirty?"

"Cause, you like it and most of them are...that's how I want them to be." She playfully punches him in the shoulder.

"Ow..."

"You're such a baby...sometimes,"

"Is that a challenge." he grabs her by the neck and forces her to lean into his kiss.

His conquest... one that only took him four years to win her as his own. Over those four years he had saved her more times then he can remember. but the latest one was the most important one, she finally told him that she was in love with him. Then she started to once again run. If he didn't put his plan into action, they would keep running for ever. It was time he wanted more, he wanted only her and the best way was to go all in and see what happens.

That day started out well, on the wrong foot was an under statement. Not at all how he planned it. Beckett had once again lied to him. This time it cut him to the core. He found out that she left him in bed to fly out for an interview in DC without telling him. That night when they were preparing for a nice dinner at her place he found her ticket and confronted her about it.

**_(flashback starts):_**

**_"What's this?" Castle, asks holding up the paper that he fell out of her jacket pocket.  
_**

**_"What's what?" she answers him, still chopping vegetables at the counter top.  
_**

**_"A boarding pass." _**

**_Beckett glances over at him her smile falls "Castle..."_**

**_"Did you fly to DC ?"_**

**_She puts down the knife and walks toward him. "Yes. I did."_**

**_"Why?" he asks. _****_Beckett takes a long time to answer._**

**_"I was invited down for an interview._**"**_ Castle is confused not ___****sur**e what that means.

**_"What kind of interview?_**"

**_"For a position. With the Federal Task Force._**"

**_"I'm sorry, you interviewed for another job in another city … and you didn't tell me?_**"

**_"I didn't tell you about it because it was just an interview and I knew you would be upset._**"  
**_Beckett was trying to tread carefully but it' wasn't working._**

**_"Oh … yeah. Yeah. You're damn right I'm upset." He _****_scoffs. _**

**_"Castle, I just wanted to see what was out there. What's wrong with that?_**"

**_"What's wrong with it, it is that you hid it from me. In fact, you lied about it. I wouldn't do that to you._**"

**_"Castle, this isn't about you." Castle has an questioning look on his face. "This is about me. This is about my life."_**

**_"So you're seriously considering this?_**"

**_"Yes! This is a wonderful opportunity. It'll be a chance to do more._**"

**_Castle _****_nods, "Without me." Beckett is _****_momentarily speechless._**

**_"Castle, please don't do this. Don't make this about us._**"

**_"I'm sorry, tell me how this isn't about us. You get this job, you move to DC, I'll never see you. That's pretty much the end of our relationship, isn't it?_**"

**_she _****_shakes her head, "You don't know that. And I probably won't even get the job._**"

**_"That's not the point." he glares over at her. "The point is, you knew what this could mean. And it didn't occur to you to include me." He pauses realizing something, something that he didn't want to. "Or worse, it did occur to you. And you chose not to. Now what does that say about us?" he grabs his coat. "Not much, you ask me."_**

**_Beckett sighs before she turns to face him._**  
**_"_****_Castle."_**

**_"I can't be here right now._**" **_With his __jacket in hand he walks past her to the door. She sighs but she doesn't try to stop him._ _Just watches him go._**

_Castle couldn't go home for he was in no mood to have his mother give one of her lectures. He ended up at the one place that could give him a little hope, a piece of mind that everything was going to be alright. Their place. He sat in the dark on the swing set. How is this going to be okay...tears dripped from his eyes as he remembered that he stood by her, ready to die with her. How could she do this to me, am I doing the biggest mistake of my life by...He took out the little black box, one that he had for over a year now. Am I doing the right thing. He opened the box and stared, the moon glistened over the diamond ring making it sparkle in his hand. _

_Why would you break me heart like this. He sniffs, All I ever wanted was...was you...I love you Beck...Kate I love you...all of you... Before he knew it the sun was rising. A new day...a new beginning. He walked into his loft happy as he could be. No worries well that was until he sat at his desk and read the note from his daughter. 'Dad I need that check, like yesterday. no fear I will be back.' then one of her smiley faces at the bottom. He sighed,  
sitting down at his desk trying to write. But all he could think about was her and the fight that they had, sure she lied but that's who she was. how am I? damn Beckett how could you? I thought we were getting closer and then...ahhh...you frustrate me at times... He throw papers across the room.  
_

_"Richard dear," his mother calls from the other room.  
_

_"What happened in here?" as she appears in the doorway seeing all the paper scattered on the floor.  
_

_"Oh nothing," he sighs leaving his office._

**_"Just tell me. How am I supposed to trust her? How am I even supposed to – to be in a relationship with her if she won't let me in?"  
Castle is now pacing his living room._**

**_"Well, Richard –dear."_**

**_"After everything that we've been through together I – I just don't understand."_**

**_"I hate to say it, kiddo, but I do. Look, the truth is, Katherine is a bright, ambitious woman. She should be interviewing for that job."_**

**_That's not what he wants to hear but it's true or some of it is._**

**_"Whose side are you on?" he questions._**

**_"You want her to put you first when neither one of you knows where the relationship is going. Do you know how absurd_**

**_that is? I mean, that is as bad as your not signing that check for Alexis' program."_**

**_"This isn't about me."_**

**_"Are you sure? I know you. You do not hold back. Except this thing with Katherine. It took you what, three years to_**

**_tell her how you felt, another year to act on it, and now, at the first sign of trouble, you're ready to run. Why?"_**

**_she pauses but he doesn't answer "Now, you're having a good time. You both are and I know you say you love her, but_**

**_darling, this is who she is. So is it possible that the reason you have held back is because somewhere deep down_**

**_inside you don't think this is going to really work?"_**

_That's exactly what he didn't need to hear from his own mother, is she right though, is this...not going to work _

_between us. Have I left fear get in the way, well not anymore._

_"where's Alexis?"_

_"Up stairs," _

_"Can you call her down here."_

_"Alexis, come down here."_

_"A minute," His daughter enters his office, "What is it dad? Am I..."  
_

_"No,"_

_**CASTLE signs a check for her.**_

_**"There you are. I'm sorry it took me so long to write it. Go have fun."**_

_**Alexis smiles at her dad. "Thanks Dad." He caps his pen and forces a smile. She stops and turns back to him.**_  
_**"Dad, are you okay?"**_

_**"Yeah."**_

_**"You seem sad."**_

_**"No. I'm fine." He's not but she wants to make it better for him. **She hates to see him like this. This reminds her of the time that he was without Beckett. oh no, not that again. Something happened between the two of you again, dad when will you ever learn._

_**"It's only Costa Rica. I'll be back before you know it."**_

_**"Oh, that's sweet. But no, it's not about that. It's uh – something your grandmother told me. There comes a point in**_

_**our lives when we have to stop fooling ourselves into thinking life's going to be the way we want it to be and start**_

_**seeing things for how they really are."**_

_**Castle's phone rings. He answers it on the first ring.  
"Castle."**_

**_"It's me." Beckett says into the phone, "We need to talk."_**

**_"Yeah we do." his tone is not very happy.  
_**

_They agree to meet at the swings, in the park. The swings that they met at before, the ones that gave them hope. But this time it would be different. Castle had a plan that he was going to share with her once she got there. Something that couldn't wait, not another day.**  
Beckett gets out of her car and walks across the grass. Castle is already waiting. He doesn't acknowledge her when she takes the swing beside him. It's a long moment before either one of them speaks.**_

**"I'm sorry." Beckett starts then sighs, "I shouldn't have kept secrets."**

**_"It's who you are. You don't let people in. I've had to scratch and claw for every inch."_**

_**"Castle,..."**_

_**"Please let me finish."**_

_Beckett honors his wish and is silent_**_. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about us. About our relationship, what we have, where we're headed." He shakes his head some. "I've decided I want more."_**

**She nods against the obvious line and tries to protect herself.**

**"We both deserve more." It takes her a second to respond. His tone hurts more than she thought.**

**"I agree."**

**"So whatever happens, and whatever you decide," he gets up from the swing. She thinks that he is going to break up with her. "Katherine Houghton Beckett..." he drops down on one of his knees and holds out a ring, "will you marry me?"**

**It's definitely not what she was expecting. Her jaw drops.**

_Still in shock she stares at him, without blinking. _

_"Castle, I..." she smiles, take a chance this is what you always wanted.._.her mind tells her_. A family and he's offering you one of your own with him. _He nods._ Hurry and answer him before he leaves you._

_"Yes, yes. I will." She grabs him around the neck. "Oh, Castle...Rick I love you. I..." He gets to his feet, who knows how with the two of them together. He spun her around then gently places her down. He places the ring on her finger. Not how I imagined it but it worked. He thought to himself. "Come on let's go home."_

_'Home' she thought, she like the sound of that. She interlocked her fingers with her soon to be husband. Now the hard part was telling everyone but that would have to wait for right now she had better plans for tonight. First they were going to finish the dinner they started the other night. our first dinner engaged, she still couldn't believe it. Her engaged...she thought that this would never happen to her. _

_Over dinner they talked about all the things that they needed to do. How are we going to tell everyone? she asks. _

_"We will deal with minor details later," Castle said, "But for now," he poured more wine in her glass. "I want to focus on you."_

_Later:_

_he got under the sheets with her and wrapped his arms around her. "Welcome home Kate...I love you. I want only you always, stay here with me."_

_"Always," she repeated, kissing him._

_"And." he added, he wanted to hear her say those words again.  
_

_"And?" she gave a question mark look up at him. Then cracked a smile, "I love you too."_

_"That's all I need to hear." He pulled her closer to him, if that was even possible. "I want to take care of you everyday of your life."  
_

_"Castle...I..."_

_"Shhh..." he kissed her once again. "Let the night flow."_

_"I know something else that needs to flow." Beckett let her hand go down his chest and beyond. _

_"Oh, playing dirty are we..."_

_(end flashback.)_

Castle leans over picking up the magazine on the end of the bed, where he threw it. "Now where were we." he found the dog-eared page.

"Castle this is my decision to make."

"And now I'm part of it."

"Yes you are, always."

"How about this one?"

Beckett shook her head. "No how about this one?"

"Hate it." he smiled wickedly, "then let's agree no dress."

"Castle!" he darts off the bed into the other room.

the end


End file.
